Wah Peen Original Painting of “Animals Coming Down from the Hills at Dawn”

This detailed watercolor painting, dated 1962, is a prime example of the exceptional talent of Gilbert Atencio (Wah Peen, 1930-1995). While his subject matter remained traditional, Atencio's technical abilities and keen eye for detail made his work instantly recognizable. This painting is no exception, utilizing watercolors to achieve a stunning realism that adds depth and detail to the traditional Pueblo flat style.

The Morning Entrance of the Buffalo Dancers

This painting captures the rarely witnessed early morning entrance of the Buffalo Dancers from the hills toward the Pueblo. Many visitors only see the public celebration in the plaza, but Atencio documents the crucial earlier stage. Around sunrise, the animal dancers arrive from afar and are met by religious members who perform a blessing ceremony, during which women spread sacred corn meal over the dancers.

The setting is rendered with evocative color: the mountains in the distance are a deep blue with snow caps, illuminated by the sunrise, contrasting with the dark brown of the foreground hills.

Exquisite Detail of the Participants

Atencio's focus on extraordinary faces and precise costuming is evident throughout the composition:

• The Welcoming Party: The woman on the far left, standing firmly to greet the dancers, is beautifully outfitted in a blue shawl with purple fringe, a black manta, and high-top white deer skin moccasins. She wears the traditional Pueblo hairstyle. Two women and one man among the greeters are actively spreading sacred corn meal in front of the arriving dancers.

• The Buffalo Dancers: The pair of male and the single female Buffalo Dancers are rendered with amazing detail. The males wear elaborate buffalo headdresses, turquoise jewelry, medicine pouches, and highly detailed kilts with individual metal cones, all atop beautiful moccasins. The female dancer is equally exquisite, outfitted with a brown and blue manta, a red shawl with fringe, a turquoise necklace, high-top white moccasins, and a white woven wide belt. She carries feathers and evergreen in one hand and a rattle in the other. Every participant is presented with the same elaborate detail.

The Legacy of Gilbert Atencio

Gilbert Atencio will certainly be recognized as one of the finest Pueblo painters of the second half of the 20th century. He attended Santa Fe Indian School, graduating in 1947, and quickly gained acclaim, exhibiting at the Santa Fe Museum, the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial, and the Philbrook Art Center by the age of twenty.

Atencio's personal and professional life greatly informed his art. He was related to a renowned family of potters; his grandmother and Maria Martinez's mother were sisters, and his sister was the well-known Santa Clara Pueblo potter Helen Gutierrez.

Crucially, Atencio worked professionally as a medical illustrator at Los Alamos National Labs. He seamlessly carried his precise drawing and painting skills — honed by detailed anatomical work — over to his fine art paintings. His crisply drawn and clearly colored renderings of ceremonial and home life, often inspired by stories told by his aunts, became instant collector favorites. His style matured from the traditional flat perspective seen early in his career to the more realistic and nuanced approach exemplified in this painting. Atencio passed away in 1995 but remains highly regarded by collectors for his unparalleled attention to detail.

Condition: this Wah Peen Original Painting of "Animals Coming Down from the Hills at Dawn" is in excellent original condition

Provenance: 

• From the Dr. Byron C. Butler collection. Exhibited at the Heard Museum, Philbrook, Millicent Rogers, and Oklahoma City Museums. 

• From the Richard and Lynne Spivey Collection

• From the estate of the Adobe Gallery client to whom it was sold in 2017.

Recommended Reading: AMERICAN INDIAN PAINTING of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn

TAGS: Native American Paintings, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Isabel M. Montoya, Maria Martinez, Gilbert Atencio